A federal judge in Baltimore issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday restricting access to the Department of Government Efficiency Social Security data.
Obama’s appointee, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, said he must purify the deanonized social security data that Doge staff members have received since Jan. 20. He also stated that any code that may already have software or code used by the Social Security Agency must be removed, and that software or code that may be prohibited from disclosing that code.
The injunction allows Doge staff to access data that has been edited or deprived of personally identifiable items when they undergo training or background checks.
“The purpose of dealing with fraud, waste, mismanagement and bloating is praiseworthy and something the American people probably praise and endorse,” Hollander wrote in a ruling issued late Thursday night. “It’s true that taxpayers have every right to expect the government to ensure that their hard-earned money is not wasted.”
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But that doesn’t matter, Hollander said. The problem is that Doge, led by billionaire Elon Musk, wants to do his job.
“For about 90 years, the SSA has been led by the fundamental principles of privacy expectations regarding its records. This case exposes a wide crack in the foundations,” the judge wrote.
The lawsuit comes from a group of unions and retirees who claim Doge’s recent actions violate privacy laws and present a massive information security risk.
During a federal court hearing in Baltimore Tuesday, Hollander repeatedly asked government lawyers why they needed “seemingly free access” of the agency’s sensitive personal information to uncover social security fraud.
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“What do you need all that information?” Hollander said he questioned whether most of the data could be anonymized.
Lawyers for the Trump administration said changing the process would slow the effort.
“Anonymization is possible, but that’s a huge burden,” Justice Department lawyer Bradley Humphries told the court. He argued that DOGE Access did not deviate significantly from normal practices within agents where employees and auditors are allowed to search the database regularly.
Social Security Bureau insignia. (Fox News)
However, the plaintiff’s lawyers called it “sea change” in terms of how the agency handles confidential information.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, legal services group behind the lawsuit, said the ruling “provided substantial relief to the millions who rely on the Social Security Agency to protect the most personal and sensitive information.”
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Hollander revealed that her orders would not be applied to SSA workers who are not affiliated with Doge, allowing them to access data they use during the normal course of work. However, she said Doge staff who want access to anonymized data should first undergo the typical training and background checks needed by other Social Security department staff.
Billionaire Elon Musk leads the government’s Bureau of Efficiency. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Hollander (75) is the latest judge to consider Doge-related cases. Many of her inquiries focused on whether Social Security cases differ significantly from another Maryland case where three other agencies challenge access to Doge’s data: the Department of Education, the Department of Treasury and the Department of Personnel Management. In that case, the Court of Appeals recently blocked the provisional injunction and cleared the way Doge once again accesses people’s personal data.
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Hollander’s injunction could also appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This was on his side with the Trump administration in other cases. This includes granting Doge access to the US International Development Agency and advancing executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital Breaking Reporter that covers crime, political issues and more.
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